History Main / AmoralAttorney

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': In ''ComicBook/TheTrialOfTheFlash'', N.D. Redik is a famous and unscrupulous defense attorney who sees the Flash trial as a chance to boost his career to permanent glory. When Franchise/TheFlash turns to other lawyers, Redik tries to have them killed to force Flash to employ him.

* The victim in ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'' episode "''[[Recap/DiagnosisMurderS2E4TheBusyBody The Busy Body]]''" is Lorenzo P. Kotch, a slimy divorce attorney willing to lie right through his teeth in order for his clients to get as much money out of their exes. He also forced himself on Nora Stebbings during her divorce, making him a creep on top of things. In fact, Mark says that part of the way he figured out the culprit (who didn't know Kotch) was to stop asking who hated Kotch enough to kill him, because ''everyone'' hated Kotch.

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'' has the usual examples as prosecutors, as you'd expect of a ForensicDrama. The notable example isn't a direct one, as Bones isn't an attorney, but the exact same UnfortunateImplications of the trope are explored in episode 1x08 ''The Girl in the Fridge''; Bones and an OldFlame turned {{Rival}} are opposing experts in a murder trial. Bones clinically delivers her conclusions, her ex makes somewhat less professional conclusions while chatting up the jury - and implies that Bones isn't really as smart as she sounds. In between sessions, her ex states that he's merely "playing the game" - he's supposed to argue that the evidence supports the defendant, just as she's for the prosecution. In-universe, Bones' consultant argues for impartiality and sweet-talking the jury but sees nothing wrong with her ex using inside knowledge (which he got by ''sleeping'' with her) to attack her character instead of the evidence. The prosecution objects and the judge sustains[[note]][[http://remediallawnotes.blogspot.com/2014/07/character-of-witnesses.html Character of Witnesses]]; "Personal opinions on the moral character of a witness, being usually too general, sweeping or subjective, are excluded." Bones' ex isn't saying that she's reading the evidence wrong, he's saying she's a lousy scientist. Such a broad accusation is ''absolutely illegal'' in a courtroom where she is not the defendant.[[/note]], but Brennan's consultant waves it off as a technicality; "He looks like a regular guy who's not allowed to speak the truth because the stupid rules get in the way." This leads to the same UnfortunateImplications as Amoral Attorneys - that ''scientists'' aren't supposed to be impartial, but to have agreed in advance as to who is guilty no matter which side they're on.

*** A recurring foe of the series was Darren Vogel, a defense attorney played by Creator/MalcolmMcDowell who had absolutely no problem with finding ways to tamper with forensic evidence (breaking the chain of custody among other things) to make it inadmissible and have his clients OffOnATechnicality.
*** In the episode "Just Got Murdered", a DivorceAssetsConflict of devastating (as in "wreck the house to make sure the other person gets nothing" and "[[AlwaysMurder murder]]") scope is complicated by said divorce's lawyer PlayingBothSides to keep them occupied as he stole their assets right out from under them. The divorcing couple, once they discover this, [[EnemyMine kill him together]].

*** The Season 5 episode "Page Turner" had a VillainOfTheWeek who was a public defender married to a city librarian. He found a way to off her in a SerialKillingsSpecificTarget plot in order to sue the city for millions so he could retire and not have to defend scumbags any longer.
*** Later in that same season, we get the episode "Enough", which has a very odd, somewhat subverted case of this trope. A trio of drug dealers are on trial for murdering another dealer. One of the three defense attorneys outright says that he doesn't usually care when a witness testifying against one of his scumbag clients "goes missing" because said witness is usually another killer or drug dealer. However, when the three defendants attack, threaten, and mutilate a witness who's an innocent, law-abiding young woman, the attorney convinces the other two to help him [[VigilanteExecution murder all three of their clients]]. [[EvenEvilHasStandards "Even scumbag lawyers have a heart."]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBobsBurgersMovie'': Mr. Fischoeder's cousin, Grover, who appeared in some episodes in the show, is revealed to have murdered a carny who worked at Wonder Wharf in order to frame his cousin and take over Wonder Wharf to knock it down and build a mega-park.

** It should also be noted that the Blue-Haired Lawyer, unlike some of the examples below, seems truly amoral (not immoral) at times. He brought his usual competency to bear while representing Bart when Bart pursued legal emancipation from his family due to financial and other grievances against Homer, no matter his actual feelings about the situation: when Bart declared that he wanted to legally separate from his family in his office, his ''"You are?!"'' seems to imply he is aghast; when Bart repeats himself, however, the Blue-Haired Lawyer reveals that he understood him perfectly and was merely calling his assistant who is named "Youare" to get him the necessary forms.

** The BigBad of ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' is [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin]], who, while not the first evil defense lawyer in the series, is definitely the absolute ''worst''. Legally speaking, the guy planned to win an important case with forged evidence and later on tried to win by [[AccuseTheWitness implicating an (innocent) witness to the crime]]. Personally speaking, [[spoiler: Kristoph ruined his rival Phoenix's career by framing him for forgery (the same forgery Kristoph himself was going to use) and tried to kill everyone who could connect him to that case- succeeding with Zak Gramarye (Kristoph's client, who fired him in favor of Phoenix because he thought Kristoph was untrustworthy) and Drew Misham (the guy who got him the forgery), and ''nearly'' succeeding with Vera Misham (the person who actually made the forgery), who was ''twelve years old'' at the time.]]
** In ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'', there's Calisto Yew, who willingly defends a man she knows is guilty of murder in order to investigate the KG-8 incident, which confirms the younger Edgeworth and Franziska's contempt for defense attorneys. [[spoiler:She turns out to be pretending to be a lawyer, and is actually a spy and assassin for the smuggling ring.]]

*** On the other hand, a chunk of the cast of ''Ultimate VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' often imply that they think Phoenix Wright (and to a lesser extent, ComicBook/SheHulk) is one. Magneto says that while he sacrifices for mutantkind, lawyers only sacrifice their dignity. Phoenix (Jean Gray) wonders what Phoenix is more hated, the world destructor or the lawyer, and before battle with Wright or She-Hulk, ComicBook/GhostRider asks them if they are aware of how many lawyers are in hell.

* Almost all the defense attorneys on the ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' shows would fit this trope like a glove. Incidentally, an episode of the show (Serena Southerlyn era) had an attorney on trial give a very stirring closing argument about why defense lawyers were necessary, even though [[HatedByAll everyone hates them]]. He still was found guilty for not reporting the location of his client's murder pit, though he reappeared about a year later (with the implication that his conviction got overturned on appeal).
** As well as some of the prosecutors. Jack "Hang 'Em High" [=McCoy=], in particular, is known for hiding evidence, bullying witnesses, and generally [[LoopholeAbuse abusing the law]] to get convictions. Although [=McCoy=] can generally be characterised as playing hard, but within legal limits, this isn't always the case. Withholding evidence, for example, is illegal when the evidence is sufficient to prove innocence (though [[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/opinion/sunday/rampant-prosecutorial-misconduct.html prosecutors have only rarely been punished for this]] in RealLife). [=McCoy=] at least (usually) had the good graces to feel bad about some of his less proud moments, and also often has people telling him, [[WhatTheHellHero "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!"]] when he goes overboard.
** [=McCoy's=] replacement Michael Cutter was no less a manipulative jackass, and in a few occasions he was confronted by fellow members of the DA's office that, having worked with [=McCoy=], could in all honesty tell Cutter that he was ''worse''.
** If a defense attorney has a recurring role on the show, then he or she will probably be sympathetic or pure evil, in terms of pulling any trick up their sleeves to win. Most of them took their losses gratefully, and one wizened attorney expressed ''relief'' that his client--a rapist--was put away, as he has a daughter himself.

*** And Stabler is sort of a one-man justification squad for the trope, proving that we actually ''need'' amoral attorneys. He's a protagonist and easy to sympathize with, but he does a lot of stuff that's ethically questionable (legally speaking, it's ''not'' questionable, it's flat-out illegal).

** An interesting twist occurs in an episode where one of [=McCoy=]'s subordinates is forced to act as a defense attorney. The moment she is teased for "working for the dark side", [=McCoy=] instantly lays down the law, saying that she is acting as a proper lawyer and any personnel of his office giving her a hard time for doing her duty would be punished with reassignment to traffic court.

* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex''. One of these attacks Togusa on the stand after he shoots a rich cyborg kid, trying to make it seem like it was a cold-blooded attack on the cyborg due to Togusa's supposed technophobic beliefs, instead of the fact that the cyborg was in the process of murdering his ex-girlfriend. When Section 9 discover that the lawyer is linked with elements plotting against it, he and his client [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident have a fatal road accident]].

* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': Downplayed in one story; attorney Vincent Oleck successfully defended a [[MafiaPrincess mobster's son]] (who had brained his date to death in the middle of a crowded bar) by applying superhero tropes (mind control, evil duplicates, ComicBookDeath, etc.) to the case, not because he actually believed that was what was going on, but because he wanted to see if he could get away with it. However, it's explicitly mentioned that defending a client as best he can (and irrespective of their innocence) ''is his job'', and when the mob boss starts showering him with gifts and [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse offers him an, ahem, life-long position,]] he [[OhCrap realizes he's messed up good]]. Ultimately, he comes to realize that his mistake was in thinking of his job as a game that he was supposed to win, rather than as a ritual intended to keep society functioning (and... darker things at bay).

* In first painting of the ''Art/MarriageALaMode'' series, Silvertongue, one of the legal counsellors drawing up the paperwork for the marriage contract, shows as much regard for the sanctity of marriage as the simultaneously engaged and unengaged couple. As he sharpens his quill, he begins romancing the bride-to-be, clearly sensing that he could be on to a good thing by getting into the bed of a rich yet unhappily married woman and thus living a life of luxury at her and especially her husband's expense. (She, meanwhile, is happy to have a sexual partner who is not a vain, syphilitic fop.)

* Donald Genarro in ''Film/JurassicPark1993'', though much more [[AdaptationalVillainy lacking in morals]] than in the original novel. Highlighted when he [[DirtyCoward abandons the kids when the T. rex shows up]], only to then be [[LaserGuidedKarma eaten by said rex]].

** In ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]'', the population of Khura'in doesn't contain any real amoral defense attorneys...or any defense attorneys at all for that matter. It's completely ingrained into their culture to believe that any defense attorney is inherently evil and will pull any underhanded trick to get their way.